After a long silence, Sun Lang let out a heavy sigh and nodded, saying, "Alright, we'll listen to you. Tell us, what should we do?"
"Hey, General Sun, have you ever seen someone asking for help by tying the person up to a tree? Can you at least untie me first?" Qin Longyang took advantage of the situation to ask for his bonds to be removed.
"You cheeky brat, you're really pushing your luck!" Sun Lang's deputy drew his sword and was about to advance, but Sun Lang stopped him with a hand.
"Let him go. With so many people here, he can't escape anyway," Sun Lang relented.
The deputy, grudgingly, cut the ropes binding Qin Longyang and shoved him towards Sun Lang.
"That's more like it," Qin Longyang said with a grin, flexing his wrists.
"Stop playing games. If you can't give a good reason, I'll chop you up myself," Sun Lang said coldly.
Qin Longyang nodded, "General Sun, you know that infantry against cavalry is like seeking death, so we need to head over there…"
Everyone looked in the direction Qin Longyang pointed, which was the large bamboo forest he had noticed earlier.
"What are we going there for?" Sun Lang asked, puzzled.
"General, I think this kid wants to trick us into a trap. There might be Yellow Turban soldiers lying in wait in that bamboo forest, ready to capture us as soon as we walk in," the deputy glared at Qin Longyang.
"Tch," Qin Longyang began to adopt an arrogant posture, "I've pointed out a way out for you. Staying here means certain death. The choice is yours."
Sun Lang looked around at the crowd, who wore complex expressions. He sighed heavily, "Fine, we'll go to the bamboo forest!"
"That's more like it," Qin Longyang smiled, "Let's hurry up. We have things to do in the bamboo forest."
...
Meanwhile, a cloud of dust was rising not far away, where the Yellow Turban cavalry pursuing Sun Lang's group was located. Their leader, with his shirt off, carried a large broadsword on his shoulder, his face marked by a prominent scar.
"General Han Zhong, the enemy soldiers are starting to flee again," the deputy reported.
"Hmph! Flee?" Han Zhong sneered, "Can two legs outrun our horses? Have the brothers ride faster and kill them all. I'm waiting to return to Gong County and celebrate the general's victory!"
"Yes! Brothers, ride faster! Kill the Han soldiers, and the one who kills the most will receive a great reward!"
"Woo!" The Yellow Turban soldiers howled as they charged forward, their cries echoing through the air.
On the other side, Qin Longyang led everyone into the bamboo forest, determined to find a way out in this desperate situation.
"Will hiding here be effective?"
"I told you, the kid's just talking nonsense. He's trying to trick us."
"…"
Soon, those who didn't understand Qin Longyang's plan started whispering among themselves. Qin Longyang knew their doubts but said nothing, instead continuing to issue orders, "Those with weapons, split up and cut the bamboo. Sharpen the ends of the bamboos near the base and stack them up. For the middle parts, leave seven feet in length, sharpen them for later use."
"Do as he says," Sun Lang said, still skeptical.
The soldiers had no choice but to try their luck with this method. Perhaps this kid really had some ability.
With many hands working together, they soon cut and sharpened the bamboo, arranging them into a chevaux-de-frise shape as Qin Longyang instructed. Each person also received a bamboo spear, and everyone understood what to do next.
In less than half an hour, the Yellow Turban cavalry arrived in the bamboo forest. Seeing the enemy soldiers, exhausted and setting up a defensive position, Han Zhong burst into laughter.
"Why aren't you running? Have you chosen to stay here and wait for death?"
Sun Lang sneered, "You dog thief, who dies today is still uncertain!"
Han Zhong's expression grew colder, "What a waste of time. Brothers, kill them all! Trample these officers into the mud!"
"Kill!" The Yellow Turban soldiers roared and charged forward on their horses.
From a bird's-eye view, the scene was indeed thrilling. Moreover, the morale of these soldiers was already low, and many were terrified by the oncoming Yellow Turban soldiers.
The Yellow Turban cavalry, driven mad, swung their swords and brandished their weapons, their eyes wild as if they were about to devour their enemies.
Soon, the two sides clashed, but the reversal shocked everyone. Sun Lang had arranged the bamboo chevaux-de-frise in front of his troops and covered it with bamboo leaves. Han Zhong, indeed, had not noticed. The cavalry in the front line suddenly fell into disarray, and the rear couldn't stop in time.
The horses crashed into the bamboo barricades, their bodies pierced by numerous bamboo stakes. The scene was chaotic with screams and bloodshed. The soldiers then picked up the prepared bamboo spears and began stabbing the enemies through the barricades, resulting in a brutal and bloody scene.
Seeing this, Han Zhong cursed angrily, "Damn it, we've fallen into a trap! Spread out and attack their flanks!"
The defeated Yellow Turban troops quickly retreated and began to form two lines for a flanking attack. Qin Longyang was delighted; just as he had anticipated! "Fools, General Sun, the time has come!"
Sun Lang nodded and drew his sword, shouting, "Flank troops, attack!"
With Sun Lang's order, Han Zhong panicked. Sun Lang had secretly stationed half his troops in ambush inside and around the bamboo forest. At Sun Lang's command, the ambushing troops emerged with fierce cries.
"Kill!" Seeing the Yellow Turbans' downfall, the previously defeated soldiers, who had been holding back, were instantly energized. Without waiting for further orders from Sun Lang, the flanking troops surrounded Han Zhong's forces.
Looking back, the retreat route had also been blocked by the bamboo barricades. The Yellow Turbans were surrounded and lost their will to fight.
Without their momentum, the cavalry were like human targets surrounded by the soldiers, who attacked them with bamboo spears. The outcome was decided, and Han Zhong, wielding his large sword, tried to fight his way out.
Several soldiers used spears to unseat Han Zhong from his horse, and he fell to the ground, struggling. Sun Lang arrived and thrust his spear into Han Zhong's chest. Han Zhong let out a final scream, spitting out blood as he died.
With Han Zhong dead, the Yellow Turban forces crumbled. The remaining hundred or so Yellow Turbans surrendered. After a fierce battle lasting an hour, Qin Longyang's side emerged victorious, with only a few of the pursuing Yellow Turbans escaping.
"Woo!" After the victory, seeing the battlefield in ruins, the previously hunted soldiers could finally cheer. The Yellow Turbans who had terrorized them were finally defeated, all thanks to the "Yellow Turban scout" Qin Longyang.
"The enemy has been routed. I've kept my promise," Qin Longyang said proudly, nodding slightly to the crowd.
If it weren't for Qin Longyang's brilliant strategy, they wouldn't have survived to this day. Those who had doubted him before fell silent.
Sun Lang slowly approached Qin Longyang and suddenly knelt on one knee, startling Qin Longyang.
"Thank you for saving our lives, sir. If it weren't for your strategy, we would have been slaughtered by the enemy. You've repaid hatred with kindness, and Sun Lang is deeply grateful!"
Seeing Sun Lang's sincere eyes, Qin Longyang felt a warm feeling in his heart and quickly helped him up. "General, there's no need for such formalities. It's fate that we met in this way. It seems to be the will of heaven."
Sun Lang stood up and, with great respect, bowed deeply to Qin Longyang, saying, "Sir, you must be a person of great ambition. In these chaotic times, if you don't mind, I, Sun Lang, am willing to follow you and help you achieve great things!"
"We also wish to follow you, sir!" The other soldiers, seeing hope for survival, felt that despite Qin Longyang's youth, his strategic mind far surpassed ordinary people. Following him might lead to a completely different fate.
Qin Longyang was thrilled, his hands slightly trembling. To have hundreds of people pledge their loyalty to him was an immense honor.
"It is my greatest honor to have the support of all of you. The Yellow Turbans are wreaking havoc in the world, and most of the court officials are corrupt and self-serving."
"The Han Dynasty's hundred-year rule is on the brink of collapse. However, it is in times of chaos that heroes emerge. Amidst the ongoing wars in the Central Plains, this is our time to shine. You brothers trust me, Qin Longyang, and I will lead you to carve out a new world!"
"Sworn to follow the general!" Sun Lang raised his arm high, and everyone shouted in unison. The spark that had just ignited was destined to become a blazing fire across the Central Plains.
Defeating the pursuers only bought them temporary safety. The Yellow Turbans' forces in Youzhou were not limited to Guan Hai alone, and with various local bandits rising amidst the chaos, danger was everywhere. The best course of action now was to head to Jicheng for refuge.
Fortunately, before the battle, Qin Longyang had ordered the soldiers to avoid harming the horses as much as possible. After the battle, the surviving horses were trapped by the bamboo barricades, making them easy to capture.
With the horses, their travel speed increased significantly.
In Youzhou's Gong County, the Yellow Turban army had taken over the city, slaughtering captured soldiers and even the civilians who hadn't managed to flee. The entire city was littered with corpses, a scene of unimaginable horror. The only people left alive in the city were those wearing yellow turbans. This massacre was sanctioned by their leader, Guan Hai.
The Yellow Turban army was mostly composed of desperate, impoverished peasants who had joined out of necessity. However, in the chaos of battle and slaughter, these once-kind-hearted people had become monsters, finding pleasure in oppressing others.
Guan Hai, after killing the magistrate Zhao Li, held a grand feast with the Yellow Turban leaders in the magistrate's residence. As for the "wedding celebration" Han Zhong had mentioned, it referred to Guan Hai's vile acts.
After the Yellow Turban army had stormed the city, Zhao Li's family had been unable to escape. Guan Hai found Zhao Li's wife and daughter in the magistrate's residence. Seeing their beauty, he had developed a lustful desire and decided to marry both mother and daughter, truly the height of wickedness.